Preview — 11 Days in December
by Stanley Weintraub

11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944

Here, Weintraub provides an account of the critical days in December, 1944, when Nazi Germany seemed on the brink of disintegration. He tells how the Russians were rapidly advancing in the east, while the Americans and British, after a brief pause, were primed to thrust into Germany from the west.

Community Reviews

I found 11 days in December slightly disappointing. I expected more from Mr. Weintraub. For those looking for a good overall narrative of the events of Dec/Jan 1944/1945 need to look elsewhere.

What this is, is a slender (180 pgs) series of anecdotes from both high level, Patton, Bradley, Monty etc, lower level troops and even some celebrities (Hemingway, Dietrich). While the stories are interesting and give some flavor to what was happening, there is no overall connection or theme to them.

ThereI found 11 days in December slightly disappointing. I expected more from Mr. Weintraub. For those looking for a good overall narrative of the events of Dec/Jan 1944/1945 need to look elsewhere.

What this is, is a slender (180 pgs) series of anecdotes from both high level, Patton, Bradley, Monty etc, lower level troops and even some celebrities (Hemingway, Dietrich). While the stories are interesting and give some flavor to what was happening, there is no overall connection or theme to them.

There are some stories that make it worth reading. These include the story of the “Nuts” reply at Bastogne, Patton’s prayer that is basically challenging God and asking for good weather, the intelligence screw up where the people in the Divisions knew something was going on, but couldn’t get anyone at higher HQ’s to believe them, the story of the 4 AD’s drive to relieve Bastogne were good, but just not enough of them.

One other problem I had was that the notes left much to be desired and there was no bibliography.

I feel the author tried to cover too much ground with the information that he had and didn’t tell anyone’s story completely.

Weintraub makes it clear that this is no scholarly military history of the Bulge campaign, but I can't in good conscience describe this as even an effective or successful narrative history of incidents in and around the Ardennes during Christmas of 1944. The text within the book is loosely connected by an implied timeline which is reflected in the chapter headings, but the paragraphs within are disjointed, factoid-like, and many are even just plain superfluous. I kept thinking that the book woulWeintraub makes it clear that this is no scholarly military history of the Bulge campaign, but I can't in good conscience describe this as even an effective or successful narrative history of incidents in and around the Ardennes during Christmas of 1944. The text within the book is loosely connected by an implied timeline which is reflected in the chapter headings, but the paragraphs within are disjointed, factoid-like, and many are even just plain superfluous. I kept thinking that the book would have been better organized by bullet-points, as that would have more clearly presented Weintraub's extensively-researched notes about the relationships between commanding generals, meals eaten during Christmas on the front lines, and reflections of individual soldiers, as opposed to stringing together dozens of unrelated facts about the subject at hand. In short, I felt that every paragraph in this book was like starting a new chapter, and that made the slog through it incredibly tedious and rather unenjoyable. In addition to this, the two reproduced operational maps within the book were virtually useless to even the most scrutinizing reader, as many of the places and units mentioned throughout the book were never seen on them. This contributed to the feeling of being removed from what the author was trying to describe and obscured any clear flow of information through the text.

I understand that Weintraub is a celebrated and prolific author, but this is my first of his books and I'm not optimistic about my chances with his others, many of which have subjects that are highly interesting to me. I would commend the author on his research, but would direct him to a format that is more befitting to his presentation of information, perhaps along the lines of Nicholson Baker's Human Smoke or Studs Terkel's The Good War. Both of these have disassociated paragraphs that describe pointed happenings, memories, or vignettes of the events in WWII and read much more clearly and in a satisfying manner....more

I would disagree with the quote on the back of the book which says "well written." I suspect this book was quickly cobbled together, in order to fulfill a request or publishing contract, from work Weintraub is doing on a much larger history of the WWII European theater of operations. This book needed organization, more and better maps, a timeline, and a list of officers from both sides with their divisions included in order to help the average reader. Weintraub would give the full name of a geneI would disagree with the quote on the back of the book which says "well written." I suspect this book was quickly cobbled together, in order to fulfill a request or publishing contract, from work Weintraub is doing on a much larger history of the WWII European theater of operations. This book needed organization, more and better maps, a timeline, and a list of officers from both sides with their divisions included in order to help the average reader. Weintraub would give the full name of a general once, and thereafter only refer to him by last name (or nickname). For Eisenhower, Patton, and Montgomery, Hitler, Jodl, that's perhaps acceptable. But for most of the others it just leaves the reader confused. This was a mercifully short book, but even so there were pages of material included which, though perhaps interesting, had nothing to do with the Battle of the Bulge. It was merely padding. I wouldn't recommend either this book or this writer. ...more

This was one book I read online (listened to). It was pretty interesting but is not a god idea to listen to war books as it's hard to figure out where the action is taking place (small towns in Belgium and Lux, pronounced too Frenchily. This book was ok I guess. Didn't like narrator much. Kept pronouncing Bastogne wrong. Did learn about coverup of the Leopoldville by Belgium. Sure made Monty look like an ass. I'll do more research on that.

There is much to learn about World War II for myself beyond Hollywood movies and the military channel on my cable system. The Battle of the Bulge, referred to so often is one of the military actions I'm particularly interested in, so when I learned about this book I thought it would be a good place to start.

The Battle of the Bulge, a name General Eisenhower was not particularly pleased with, began with a surprise attack ordered by Adolf Hitler, and was full of missteps for the allies. For examplThere is much to learn about World War II for myself beyond Hollywood movies and the military channel on my cable system. The Battle of the Bulge, referred to so often is one of the military actions I'm particularly interested in, so when I learned about this book I thought it would be a good place to start.

The Battle of the Bulge, a name General Eisenhower was not particularly pleased with, began with a surprise attack ordered by Adolf Hitler, and was full of missteps for the allies. For example, German soldiers (referred to as the Trojan House Brigade) conducted many exercises designed to stump the American soldiers, such as switching directional signs, cutting telephone lines, wearing American uniforms, and over painting German tanks with American markings. The allies eventually had to develop other ways to distinguish allies from disguised enemies at security checkpoints because they were wearing stolen uniforms and had stolen identity papers, such as asking "Who won the 1940s World Series?" One regiment was even given gas masks to carry in their hands at one point because the allies knew none of them had been stolen by the German soldiers.

This book tries to travel the days around Christmas in 1944 from the perspectives of many people on both sides of the fight. Sometimes this was confusing for this reader, at times taking forward into the paragraph or the next to determine which side of the war it came from. I was grateful that there two maps included in this book, and I referred to them often to know where from France to Luxembourg to Antwerp to Versailles to know where we were in this battle.

A general brief discussion of this critical battle, but I will read further books cited in the notes for further understanding....more

This is not full, critical history of the Ardennes offensive, nor does it pretend to be. (For that, the reader should see Antony Beevor’s “Ardennes” or John Eisenhower’s “The Biter Woods”, to name just a couple from the vast amount of literature out there.) Weintraub states that his purpose was to just give an impression of what 11 days on a frozen WWII battlefield seemed like, using the lens of Christmas to bring it into focus. Within that narrow set of restrictions, Weintraub succeeds quite niThis is not full, critical history of the Ardennes offensive, nor does it pretend to be. (For that, the reader should see Antony Beevor’s “Ardennes” or John Eisenhower’s “The Biter Woods”, to name just a couple from the vast amount of literature out there.) Weintraub states that his purpose was to just give an impression of what 11 days on a frozen WWII battlefield seemed like, using the lens of Christmas to bring it into focus. Within that narrow set of restrictions, Weintraub succeeds quite nicely, with a coherent and sometimes moving narrative that is lucidly and elegantly written....more

The book 11 Days in December is a short, narrative of the days of Christmas in the Ardennes , December, 1944 when the German forces launched a surprise, devastating attack in what was a quiet sector of the lines. This book is not a military history , nor does it attempt to be; it is more a reporter's notebook of what those days were like for the soldiers of both side locked in a deadly combat. It does offer many interesting and touching scenes of " human interest" , often comparing official newsThe book 11 Days in December is a short, narrative of the days of Christmas in the Ardennes , December, 1944 when the German forces launched a surprise, devastating attack in what was a quiet sector of the lines. This book is not a military history , nor does it attempt to be; it is more a reporter's notebook of what those days were like for the soldiers of both side locked in a deadly combat. It does offer many interesting and touching scenes of " human interest" , often comparing official news reports with the reality on the lines, and the general staff bland confidence with soldiers' grim acceptance of fighting a last- ditch action.There are interesting snap portraits of Eisenhower ( stunned and befuddled) , Bradley ( bewildered) , Patton ( focused and belligerent, even in prayer), and Mongomery ( cold, remote and distant). Having read that sort of evaluation before, I found the vignettes of the common soldiers more interesting, especially their Christmas " celebrations" , such as they were.In sum, a good addition to the library of WW2 history buffs, not essential for understanding the battle, but an interesting human story.

By December 1944, Nazi Germany seemed on the brink of disintegration. The Russians were rapidly advancing in the east, while the Americans and British, after a brief pause, were primed to thrust into Germany from the west. So the German counterattack through the Ardennes was a complete surprise and, initially, a great success. Ultimately, however, the Germans failed to split the Allied armies and drive to the sea. Still, Weintraub has written a compact, fast-moving account of those critical daysBy December 1944, Nazi Germany seemed on the brink of disintegration. The Russians were rapidly advancing in the east, while the Americans and British, after a brief pause, were primed to thrust into Germany from the west. So the German counterattack through the Ardennes was a complete surprise and, initially, a great success. Ultimately, however, the Germans failed to split the Allied armies and drive to the sea. Still, Weintraub has written a compact, fast-moving account of those critical days that largely glosses over the military technicalities to focus upon the individual experiences of ordinary soldiers. At the center of the narrative is George Patton, hardly an ordinary soldier. As one would expect, Weintraub shows Patton as brash, brilliant, and profane. Patton's part prayer, part challenge to God to provide clear weather for Allied air attacks is recounted memorably here. But Weintraub's use of the letters and diaries of "lesser" soldiers enlivens his account and makes this a particularly poignant saga of men in war....more

My dad served in the Army during World War II and was severely injured in the clean up of the Battle of Bulge. I have always known that's what the scars on his chest were from and have seen his Purple Heart a couple of times and heard bits and pieces of the story throughout my life. In the past couple of years, Dad has started to talk a little more about his time in the Army and I have been learning more each time from him. I have recently done a little more study and reading bout the Battle ofMy dad served in the Army during World War II and was severely injured in the clean up of the Battle of Bulge. I have always known that's what the scars on his chest were from and have seen his Purple Heart a couple of times and heard bits and pieces of the story throughout my life. In the past couple of years, Dad has started to talk a little more about his time in the Army and I have been learning more each time from him. I have recently done a little more study and reading bout the Battle of the Bulge and have started to make a list of questions I would like to ask Dad, mainly so that our kids have a better insight into the man that is their Pawpaw.

This book was very interesting and sad one to read, but I am so glad that I did. Whether or not it's all true, I feel that I got enough insight into this short, sad time period to add some questions to my ever growing list to task my dad when I visit him in October.

If you are a WWII buff, or have an interest, you should pick this one up to read....more

I never knew a lot about the Battle of the Bulge, it seems to be one of those battles from WW2 that is often briefly mentioned in high school and college courses and not much more. So my limited knowledge of it came from the one episode in Band of Brothers where Easy company was involved in the fighting. So reading a book about those 11 days which had one of the highest casualty rates of the war (10,276 killed and 23,218 missing). It was intriguing to read about the different personalities of thI never knew a lot about the Battle of the Bulge, it seems to be one of those battles from WW2 that is often briefly mentioned in high school and college courses and not much more. So my limited knowledge of it came from the one episode in Band of Brothers where Easy company was involved in the fighting. So reading a book about those 11 days which had one of the highest casualty rates of the war (10,276 killed and 23,218 missing). It was intriguing to read about the different personalities of the leaders and how each of them positively or negatively influenced the outcome of the war. Overall, I had to say that had the American's been less cocky about how they were doing in the war, then the d&d (and no, that doesn't mean dungeon's and dragon's) tactics of the Germans might have not been as effective and the outcome could have been totally different.I will definately be looking for more historical non-fiction by Weintraub in the future....more

Not an in-depth account of the Ardennes Campaign, in the vein of MacDonald's "A Time For Trumpets," Weintraub's "11 Days in December" is reminiscent of Stephen Ambrose's histories. This book is more about flavor than substance, and it helps to have a pretty good understanding of the geography and chronology of the 30-day battle (as the title says, the first 11 days, from 16 to 27 December 1944, are covered here) because the narrative skips around in time and space in order to address themes likeNot an in-depth account of the Ardennes Campaign, in the vein of MacDonald's "A Time For Trumpets," Weintraub's "11 Days in December" is reminiscent of Stephen Ambrose's histories. This book is more about flavor than substance, and it helps to have a pretty good understanding of the geography and chronology of the 30-day battle (as the title says, the first 11 days, from 16 to 27 December 1944, are covered here) because the narrative skips around in time and space in order to address themes like what Christmas dinner was like at the high command and in the foxholes. That's one of the strengths of the author's approach, examining certain topics from the point of view of the front line soldier and the rear area general, the American and the German. I wouldn't consider this book a good standalone history of the Bulge by any stretch, but it makes a very nice companion piece that recounts some events and voices that the Bulge scholar may not have encountered before....more

I read 11 Days in December in conjunction with research I was doing for a paper on the Battle of the Bulge. Thanks to the context I had from my other research, I was able to follow the plot quite easily, something that may not be so easy for those with no background knowledge. Weintraub does state that this book is not meant to be a comprehensive history - I would recommend Snow and Steel: Battle of the Bulge 1944-1945 for that purpose - it is simply the perspectives of various men who were therI read 11 Days in December in conjunction with research I was doing for a paper on the Battle of the Bulge. Thanks to the context I had from my other research, I was able to follow the plot quite easily, something that may not be so easy for those with no background knowledge. Weintraub does state that this book is not meant to be a comprehensive history - I would recommend Snow and Steel: Battle of the Bulge 1944-1945 for that purpose - it is simply the perspectives of various men who were there in December 1944. That being my expectation, I found it a very enjoyable read which served to make my study of the Ardennes campaign more personal. ...more

This short, concise history of the Battle of the Bulge takes the 15,000 ft look. It doesn't follow platoons throughout each minute but rather follows several GIs throughout the Battle. The author also discusses the various generals - on both sides - who valiantly defended their turf. The only general who did not come out looking good was British Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery. The writing was easy and enjoyable. Definitely a readable book for the average and above-average historian.

My father-in-law was at the Battle of the Bulge when it broke out. He told me all the stories that are in this book before I actually even found this book and read it. He only started talking about the war when he was in his late 70's, and his own family was bored with his stories and would not sit and listen to him. But after reading this book I know all the stories he told me were true, and the sudden realization of the horrors he suffered as a young man from the hills of West Virginia saddeneMy father-in-law was at the Battle of the Bulge when it broke out. He told me all the stories that are in this book before I actually even found this book and read it. He only started talking about the war when he was in his late 70's, and his own family was bored with his stories and would not sit and listen to him. But after reading this book I know all the stories he told me were true, and the sudden realization of the horrors he suffered as a young man from the hills of West Virginia saddened me greatly. He is forever my hero....more

Got this from the library on audio book. I made it all the way through, but it was very disjointed and damn near impossible to follow. I suppose if you are very familiar with WWII and the Battle of the Bulge, and you know the names of all the generals in the European theater, then you may enjoy this. I, however, need to do some homework first. This book doesn't follow a central character, it jumps around a lot, telling many stories from many points of view.

I read the author's previous title about the Christmas truce in 1914, and loved it. I expected the same from this book. But it hits the ground running with little or no back-story for those of us unfamiliar with the intimate who's who details of the Battle of the Bulge, and I got lost very quickly. This would appeal to a die-hard fanatic interested in the European campaigns, but not the casual reader like myself.

A good anecdotal look at the Battle of the Bulge and the larger (Patton, Montgomery) than live figures but a good focus on the dog faces in the infantry who made the battle the success it was by preventing it from becoming the disaster the German hoped. With all that's been written about this epoch last gasp of the Third Reich it really never had a chance of defeating the Western Allies or in getting to Antwerp.

I have read this before but its been a while and wanted to read it again, especially at this time of year. It makes me realize how safe, warm, and blessed I am to be reading it in the comforts of my home. These men and women spent their Christmas surrounded by horrors brought on by war, yet they still tried to find the spirit of Christmas in the simple things.

Somewhat disappointed in the book as I read it. It seems to be a great deal of regurgitated information I have read elsewhere about Wacht am Rhein and that really drew from the book. Too much time with Patton and Monty and all of the other "big hats" of the war.

I'd give it a 2.5 if it were possible. 2 seems too low and 3 too much.

This is the second book that I have written by this author and while I liked it better than the first, I am still not overwhelmed. I found it difficult to keep a lot of the units straight and I never felt exceedingly engaged. I think the brevity of the book played a large role in this as you did not have time to develop an affection for the people involved.

Not a well-researched or a well-written book; I had much higher hopes for it than what it delivered. Annoyances include a lack of maps to show the fluid action; and spelled Bedell-Smith's name as "Beetle". I cannot in good conscience recommend this book at all, when there are so many better books on the Battle of the Bulge.

Interesting look at the Battle of the Bulge through the lens of how troops on both sides celebrated Christmas. (I listened to the audiobook version though, and the editing on this was poor. It sounded as if the reader had recorded words frequently used in the book and a computer had assembled them. The content of the book is 3-star, the experience of listening to it was a 1-star.)

There are certainly more definitive works on this subject than one will find in this slender volume. A couple swipes are made at taking some of the shine off the performance of both Bradley and Eisenhower, but there seems no huge conflicts with such as the story told in either "Band of Brothers" or "Citizen Soldier" One could do worse.

This is a short collection of anecdotes about the Battle of the Bulge. It is not particularly well organized, nor is there much analysis. I learned nothing from this book that I hadn't read elsewhere, which indicates to me that Weintraub didn't find any new sources to add to the literature of this period.

I have enjoyed Mr. Weintraub's previous WWII books. This short (compared to his others) book is a bit disjointed. As avid WWII reader, I have a good understanding of the Battle of the Bulge. If not, I'm not sure I could have have followed along with this book. The one thing is he does not convey the seriousness of this crisis to the Allied forces. I was definitely disappointed.

In short, this book had nothing new. When one is regurgitating the same old facts, stories, and articles, it would be better to try to find a more interesting writing style. I don’t recommend this to even the most interested in WWI

Weintraub was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 1929. He was the eldest child of Benjamin and Ray Segal Weintraub. He attended South Philadelphia High School, and then he attended West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University of Pennsylvania) where he received his B.S. in education in 1949. He continued his education at Temple University where he received his mastWeintraub was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 1929. He was the eldest child of Benjamin and Ray Segal Weintraub. He attended South Philadelphia High School, and then he attended West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University of Pennsylvania) where he received his B.S. in education in 1949. He continued his education at Temple University where he received his master's degree in English “in absentia,” as he was called to duty in the Korean War.

He received a commission as Army Second Lieutenant, and served with the Eighth Army in Korea receiving a Bronze Star.

After the War, he enrolled at Pennsylvania State University in September 1953; his doctoral dissertation “Bernard Shaw, Novelist” was accepted on May 6, 1956.

Except for visiting appointments, he remained at Penn State for all of his career, finally attaining the rank of Evan Pugh Professor of Arts and Humanities, with emeritus status on retirement in 2000. From 1970 to 1990 he was also Director of Penn State’s Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies...more